Mindfulness is probably a term that you’ve heard thrown around in conversation but may not know what it is, or more importantly, how it can help you. Mindfulness practices have grown in popularity exponentially over the last couple of years, and people all over the world have been using it to unlock new levels of personal and professional growth and development, whatever their industry.
Mindfulness is a super tool that can help you with controlling nerves, anxiety, overthinking, career blocks, a lack of direction… and so the list goes on. And what’s even better, is that it can be used to improve your mindset for riding! It’s no secret that how we think and how we feel correlates with how we ride and how our horse responds beneath us. Mindfulness is such an effective way to tune our mindset to the right frequency and make sure we’re having a positive influence on our horse.
If you’ve been facing a few blocks in your riding journey, lacking motivation in the middle of winter, or struggling with anxiety both in and out of the saddle, then mindfulness may be just what your missing!
How does mindfulness help to create a positive rider mindset?
Before we get to how mindfulness can help you in the saddle, it’s important to understand how mindfulness works. In short, mindfulness is about turning down the volume on the excess chatter in your head and connecting back in with your mind and body. Focusing on your body, where you are, what you can feel, and what is going on around you helps to ground us in the present moment. As you become more connected with your mind, you can perceive situations or problems with more clarity. When we are overrun with anxiety or have too many thoughts swirling through our minds, it clouds our judgement and hinders logical thinking. By taking the time to check in with your body, it gives you the distance to re-evaluate and find clear paths to solve problems.
So, it’s pretty easy to see how it can help us on our riding journeys. Not only is mindfulness a super important way to take care of your mental well-being, but it’s also a great tool for those of you who are worried about stepping up a level, struggle with nerves before a competition, or get overwhelmed with all the thoughts, worries, and responsibilities that come with horses. If you’ve felt your riding has hit a dead end or you’re not getting the results you want, it could be because your mindset is getting in the way.
If it sounds simple, it’s because it is! Once you get the hang of it, creating a positive mindset to support you in the saddle is easy, and soon you won’t even realise you’re doing it. Like most things, mindfulness is a skill that takes practice to get it right. It might take a while to get used to, but I promise it’s worth it, so stick with it! Here are my favourite tips to practice mindful riding…
How to practice mindfulness for a positive rider mindset
True or false… you must be on a horse to practice mindful riding.
FALSE.
The beauty of mindfulness is that it can be done almost anywhere at any time. So that means you can put your mindfulness training to the test when you’re out hacking, mucking out, or even on your sofa. By simply exercising your mindfulness muscles, you’ll be taking steps to create that all-important positive rider mindset.
- Work with your breathing
When we focus our attention on our breathing, it allows the mind to take a break and slow down. It’s a great constant to focus on to connect back in with our bodies and take stock of how we’re doing.
Follow the movement of each breath in and out, trying to maintain a steady rhythm. By doing so, you should notice a lot of the unhelpful chatter in your mind quietens to a whisper or disappears altogether. Once you’ve got a handle on your breathing you can start to branch out to other parts of your body and check in with what you’re feeling around you. This could be the temperature, the texture of whatever surface you’re sitting or standing on, and the feeling of any objects in your hands.
By connecting with your breathing and becoming aware of yourself in space, you will be entirely focused on the present moment and NOT letting your mind run wild. This is a great technique to slow down and ground yourself. It’s particularly useful if you are someone who struggles with anxiety or gets really nervous before a competition.
- Practice non-reactivity
Fixating on the worst-case scenario is a side-effect of human nature. It’s the brain’s way of trying to gain a semblance of control in an unknown situation, by predicting the worst we are subconsciously preparing ourselves for a negative outcome. These small thoughts have a remarkable impact on our mental state and illicit an anxiety response of fight or flight.
Instead of letting these nagging thoughts override the supportive angel on your shoulder, mindfulness can help you dismiss them for what they are- unhelpful! Think of them like clouds passing in the sky, you can see their shapes and notice their different textures, but then they pass by, and we don’t give them a second thought. This is how we should be treating those anxious thoughts, acknowledge they’re there but try not to dwell on them or react. You will only fixate on thoughts you try to ‘switch off’, which is counterproductive. Instead, objectively acknowledge they’re there, but just like the clouds in the sky, let them pass you by. The breathing technique above will make this a little easier, so try them together.
- Building a mind-body connection
When we dwell on uncomfortable thoughts or worries, our brain responds as if we’re facing an imminent threat in person. Whilst the brain’s ability to perceive thoughts as reality is great for visualisation tactics, it’s not so helpful when we’re trying to cultivate a positive rider mindset. As we get anxious, it triggers the sympathetic nervous system which is what activates the fight or flight response. Not only is this totally unhelpful, but our horses will tune into the nervous energy too… not the formula for a positive ride!
With the help of mindful riding, we can tune our mind and body to the same frequency and interrupt the thoughts before they translate into anxiety. As you start to notice the worries or what-ifs surfacing, hit pause, take a few breaths (it always comes back to our breathing!), and tune into the sensations throughout your body. Giving yourself that space to get grounded will clear your mind and allow you to re-evaluate the negative thoughts with more logic. This is how to break the cycle with the sympathetic nervous system and focus on keeping a positive mental attitude, both in and out of the saddle.
Can I practice mindful riding?
The beauty of mindfulness is that anyone can reap its rewards. You don’t need to be struggling with anxiety or weighed down by negative thoughts to see the benefit. Mindfulness is an excellent tool to help with day-to day life, visualisation, pre-competition nerves, or simply a way to check in with yourself whilst you do the mundane tasks on the yard.
We all know how pivotal it is to be your best self in the saddle, and a lot of that starts with having a positive mindset. Going into each ride with a clear mind and logical thinking will allow you to listen to your horse, build a partnership, and start to face challenges with more ease and confidence.
Mindfulness is something I work on with all my clients, so if you’d like a little more help in this department then you know where to find me! I know the equine industry inside and out, so I understand how much pressure there can be! We can work together to find the right tools that work for you to build the right mindset to help you achieve your goals.